Tory MP won’t testify on own porn bill despite support from all parties

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OTTAWA — Liberal MPs say Conservative MP Arnold Viersen “muting” As a House of Commons committee tries to scrutinize a bill to stop online sexual exploitation, child protection groups are urging MPs to put their differences aside and take the bill forward with or without him.

Viersen’s private member bill C-270 aims to ban individuals and companies from producing, distributing or advertising pornographic material without first ensuring that the people depicted are at least 18 years old and giving their explicit consent.

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The bill received unanimous all-party support in the House of Commons earlier this year and was sent to the justice committee for further consideration. It is rare for the opposition to take legislation this far.

But since October 31, the justice committee’s work has stalled as Viersen ignored requests to testify about his own bill and Conservative colleagues lied to the committee to prevent a vote on extending the bill’s review for another 30 days.

As a result, C-270 could be sent back to the still paralyzed Parliament without any amendments by November 19 and without a clear deadline for when it will or will not be accepted on third reading.

Liberal MPs believe Viersen wanted to prevent the Conservatives from speaking in a public forum – which he has said he would vote against – after discussing his socially conservative views on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. On a Liberal MP’s podcast earlier this year.

“It would take a lot of effort to prevent him from testifying for an hour,” Liberal MP Chris Bittle said in an interview about the Conservative Party’s impeachment.

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Bittle added that pro-life groups “will be shocked to learn that one of their most vocal pro-life members has been silenced by the party.”

His colleague, James Maloney, #Where is Arnold tweetingHe said he would personally be “furious” if his colleagues prevented him from testifying about his bill.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s office declined to comment when asked whether he specifically prohibited Viersen from speaking to the committee about the private member’s bill. And Viersen has so far ignored requests for comment from the National Post.

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor said the focus on Viersen was “a bit distracting” and that his presence as a witness was not “absolutely necessary” as others might say.

“I think the real question is: Why don’t the Conservatives allow the committee to formally request an extension to review the bill?”

Multiple groups supporting C-270 are calling on MPs to put their differences aside and move the legislation forward to better protect victims of online abuse.

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“Out of respect for survivors and the protection of every Canadian, we encourage the committee to move the process forward without delay,” said Janet Campbell, president and CEO of the Joy Smith Foundation, which raises awareness of human trafficking.

“This is a civil rights issue that everyone on the committee wants to see to protect their loved ones and the constituents they serve,” he added.

Some even made presentations to the committee, arguing that more emphasis should be placed on monetizing pornographic content or AI-generated images. But they agree that C-270 is a good first step in protecting women and children.

Julia Beazley, director of public policy at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, said she wants MPs to know that Viersen’s bill is “very necessary and long overdue.”

“Bill C-270 will help prevent the distribution of child sexual abuse material, images of exploitation and abuse, and intimate images shared without consent. “Preventing online sexual victimization is something that MPs from all parties can support,” he said.

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Beazley added that his organization had highlighted “the growing threat of generative AI creating explicit images using both real and AI-generated images of children and adults” and asked the committee to ensure such content was addressed.

Friends of Canadian Media wrote a submission to the committee arguing that the bill could go further and make it illegal not only to advertise pornographic material that is non-consensual or depicts minors, but also to place ads alongside that content.

“More simply put, if the content is illegal, it must be illegal to make money from it,” the application states.

Federal lawmakers have been exploring for years how best to respond to the removal of child pornography and non-consensual intimate images or videos from streaming platforms like Pornhub, but have made little progress on changing the laws.

Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne introduced S-210 in 2021, which would implement an effective age verification mechanism when accessing sexually explicit material on the internet, sparking widespread privacy concerns from civil society and legal groups.

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Earlier this year, the federal government tabled the long-awaited Online Harms Bill, which aims to force online platforms to monitor and remove harmful content, including non-consensual intimate images and content that victimizes children, such as sexual abuse.

But the bill also proposes: Widely expanding hate speech laws Some may allow sentences of up to life imprisonment. This has led the opposition and critics to raise concerns about its impact on freedom of expression online.

Given the political landscape and the possibility of an election in the short term, Penny Rankin of Canada’s National Council of Women is urging MPs to introduce any legislative measures that could help better protect children online.

“Canada is far behind. “We are far behind in addressing legislation to protect our children online and they are vulnerable,” he said.

Although the C-270 “doesn’t tick all the boxes” in his opinion, Rankin said it was a good bill.

“We need something in place. We actually have nothing.”

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